


Build a Band

by Only_Here_for_JatP



Series: This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things [3]
Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: Build A Bear, Fluff, Gen, Small emotional backstories, i want to buy all the bears now thanks, individual pov
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-09
Updated: 2020-10-24
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:41:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,303
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26914576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Only_Here_for_JatP/pseuds/Only_Here_for_JatP
Summary: The boys go to Build a Bear.That's it, that's the story.Each chapter will be from the POV of a different person
Relationships: Alex & Julie Molina & Luke Patterson & Reggie, Alex/Willie (Julie and The Phantoms)
Series: This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1949521
Comments: 161
Kudos: 356





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> It's here!
> 
> Very excited about this. Still wished I worked out some details but here we are.

Everything had been normal since the Orpheum. Well as normal as life can be when you live with three teenage boy ghosts from the 90s and you’re in a rock band that played one of the most well-known clubs in LA. The boys still got into their crazy antics that Julie inevitably had to fix and there was still something going on between her and Luke, whatever that was. She didn’t have time to worry about it so much these days.

Ever since the Orpheum they could touch and every now and again they could become visible to Flynn or Carlos. It still hadn’t happened in front of Ray yet, much to Reggie’s disappointment but he kept trying. Ray had taken news that the boys were ghosts surprisingly well with the addition of a few extra rules. He eyed the empty space where one ghost in particular was supposed to be when he told them although if the object of Ray’s focus noticed he sure didn’t show it.

Time was passing by rather quickly these days, and soon it was the start of summer. Julie’s dad had been nudging her to get a summer job and she couldn’t help but think it might be a good idea. The band was playing regular gigs now, but they weren’t making much money. If they were going to keep going, they needed another source of income. The boys of course couldn’t be of much help with this since you know, dead, so it was mostly up to Julie. 

The boys, especially Luke, were a little grumbly about her taking time away from their music. Once she explained that this was to make money for the band, they’d felt a little better about it. They still weren’t over the moon, but the pouting had definitely decreased.

This is how Julie found herself with a job that she knew really wasn’t that awful but was exhausting none-the-less.

Build-a-Bear.


	2. Reggie's First Bear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reggie begs Julie to take him to work with her, but once he gets there he can't resist making a bear of his own

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!
> 
> I know this strayed from the original tumblr post a little, but also. Reggie making a little Alex bear brought me too much joy to not do it.

The boys were really enjoying the fact that summer meant more time with Julie, even if she did have her new job at the mall. Reggie in particular loved having the extra people around. There was always something going on with Carlos and he’d made numerous trips to baseball practice, or to the park, or whatever was going on.

Today though, after much begging and pleading with Julie, she’d finally relented to let him tag along to her job. For the most part she’d forbidden them from visiting, saying that her job was chaotic enough without throwing three teenage ghost boys into the mix, but Reggie had just been so intrigued.

Build a Bear was apparently a place for kids where they came and made stuffed animals and you could add hearts and costumes and name them. To him that sounded like possibly the best place in the world.

When he was younger, he’d had a small chocolate brown teddy bear that he carried around with him anywhere. It came with him for the first day of kindergarten, and most days after until he found Luke. Then Sir Reginald, as the teddy bear was known as, would stay in his backpack, just in case. It’d been his support during all of the fighting, and he’d hold tight every time he hid in his closet trying to drown out the noise.

In truth, he’d never really grown out of his teddy bear but it was early middle school when Luke discovered there was a way to climb in through Reggie’s window and soon it was Luke sitting with him in the closet or pulling him out of the house to the studio to play music and wander the beach.

How exactly did one make a stuffed animal he thought? It seemed like it would take a long time sewing all of the pieces together and stuffing it? That’s a lot of work, do kids really enjoy it?? So he was very curious about this Build a Bear, especially when Julie exclaimed that they sold more than just bears! He could Build a Dog or a Turtle or maybe A DRAGON. He had no idea what he was going to find, but he was so excited to find out.

Reggie poofed into the store sometime that afternoon and immediately felt his eyes widen. This. Was. The. Best. Stuffed animals lined the walls of all shapes and kinds and colors. He stood in a sea of kids all running and screaming in sheer joy and he got it. If Julie hadn’t already spotted him, he would absolutely be doing laps right now. But he promised and he really wanted to try and keep the promise that he would be on his best behavior.

He took in the plastered on smile that edged just a little bit toward frantic, her tense posture, and the kids that were lightly tugging on her arms and knew he really couldn’t- “OH MY GOD JULIE IS THAT A STAR WARS BEAR.” He shrieked upon seeing what was clearly a teddy bear but it LOOOKED LIKE DARTH VADER and before he knew it he was poofing over to Julie, tugging on her arm much like the children while speaking so fast it sounded like a blur even to him “JulieJulieJulieJulieJulieJuliePrettyPleaseJulieCanIHaveTheBearJulieIt’sStarWarsITSSTARWARSJULIE.”

All of a sudden Julie was laughing and he stepped back to give her a curious look. Had he broken her? He hadn’t meant to break her. OH NO what was Luke going to say if he broke Julie? And Alex? Oh god please let her not be broken.

But soon he saw the soft smile playing on her lips, a genuine one this time. He smiled back at her and he watched her give him a small nod in a different direction. His eyes followed where she was indicating, and he felt his mouth drop open. There was a soft tan bear with kind of curly fur and its feet had this soft pink material on it. And he couldn’t say what about the bear it was, but it felt like he was looking at Alex.

Reggie quickly glanced at the name, “Timeless Bear” and he smiled. That was all of them exactly. Julie had come to stand next to him, and whispered softly “we can make that one, deal?” Reggie nodded, joy spreading through him quickly and he couldn’t stop his excitement from making him bounce.

Julie had a horde of kids following behind her and Reggie joined them, fitting right in if he wasn’t taller than them. And a ghost. Julie had picked up what looked like a deflated version of the bear and understanding was slowly started to dawn on how this whole process worked. But he still couldn’t figure out how they were going to all stuff and sew it.

Julie led them to this small open space and he watched all the children sit down, so Reggie followed along. In front of them was this huge machine and Reggie stared at it in awe. Was that? Was it filled with stuffing??? This was so cool! He was almost too distracted to miss Julie’s speech. Something about waiting your turn and choosing the softness levels and adding the heart.

Wait. The heart? Reggie tuned back in.

“Alright everyone, you will all need to pick a heart for your new friend.” Reggie’s eye grew wide. The shuffling of kids drew him to the little boxes filled with soft satin hearts. They were all in shades of red and pink and checkered. Julie was there talking with the kids to help him decide when he spotted a heart that was the exact same shade as Alex’s favorite sweatshirt. He pointed with a small voice and said that one. Julie picked it up as they all headed back to the big machine.

“Of course we can’t just put a heart inside our new friend. We’ve got to get it going with some magic first.” Reggie’s eyes widened, watching as Julie charmed the kids into believing with her. “First, we’ve got to rub the heart between our hands to make it warm.” All of the kids followed suit, and even though he knew Julie had the heart for his new friend between her hands he still followed suit. “Next, let’s add a little excitement! We can jump up and down for this one. Gotta have a spring in our step after all.”

“Now, give it a big hug so your new friend knows you’ll always be there for him.” Julie was making eye contact with him now and he could feel himself tearing up a little.

“Finally, make a wish and whisper it into your heart.” Reggie whispered into his hands “I wish I could stay with my brothers forever.” He didn’t know what Julie whispered to his heart, but he trusted her.

The kids bounced around in excitement, not feeling the gravity that was shifting around them. Julie stared for one long moment at Reggie before turning back to them with a smile and beginning the process of stuffing the bears. Reggie gasped so loud he made Julie whip her head around at him. THAT was how they did it. The machine did the stuffing and then it was just a quick close up! He watched the kids get their new stuffie one by one and then take them over to the “grooming” stations where you could brush them and “bathe” them before finding outfits.  
Reggie wandered over to the clothing section and admired all the selections. There were fancy dresses and Halloween costumes and pajamas and sports outfits and fanny packs.

WAIT. He shrieked with joy and immediately started clapping and jumping around. There in the accessories was a little black fanny pack. He started searching more thoroughly now. There wasn’t a pink sweatshirt but oooh! Was that a pink shirt! And and a baseball cap. YES.

He turned around to find Julie only to discover she was on the last kid. He walked over to her and stood patiently by as she heaved a sigh of relief. Waving them off. “Ready Reggie?” He nodded and shook in excitement. “Here!” She handed him the little pink heart and for a second he could only stare at it. But then he held it tightly in his hands and whispered in his mind.

You will be Alexander. You are the greatest drummer and one of the greatest friends a guy could have. You will be there for every heartache, panic attack, and moment of joy. You are sarcastic, but there for us anyway. Just wait until you meet the real Alex.

Julie nudged him, ready for the heart and watched as the limp piece of fabric became almost real. He didn’t give Julie much time after she finished before dragging her to his clothing selections. She giggled the whole time though, he knew that although she might act exasperated she was having as much as him. She approved of all the clothing choices, and offered one additional thing.

A small rainbow flag that had a band so it looked like the bear was holding it.

Reggie watched it all come together. He took one look at the dressed up bear and exclaimed- “It’s ALEX!!! I have to go show him!!! Thanks Julie” He gave her a quick hug and poofed away before anybody could wonder why that bear was floating.


	3. Alexander the Great

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reggie surprises Alex with his build a bear and Alex is soft

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I ended up enjoying this part so much that I wrote way more than I expected. So I'm breaking up Alex into two chapters. So you may get an extra chapter or it may just be five.
> 
> Alex is soft and Luke is jealous and there's some small Ruke and WIllex mentions.
> 
> I love writing the dynamic of these three. Ah.

Alex and Luke had been lounging around the studio. They knew exactly where Reggie was and both knew him well enough to know that his excitement would be both chaotic and overwhelming. Alex chuckled a little at the thought, sure there would be some screaming and words he couldn’t catch. They both knew however, that if either of them wasn’t there to explode happiness on that he would make that face. That slightly disappointed one. The one where they knew he was trying to douse everything he was feeling in order to not be a bother.

They never wanted Reggie to feel like he was a bother. It was their life mission actually. Afterlife? Whatever.

So Alex sat, fiddling with his drums and waiting for a whirlwind. He kept reminding himself that it really was worth the wait, even if he could be spending time with Willie. It would be easier to remember that once he saw the joy on Reggie’s face. He sighed; it’d been close to a whole hour since he poofed off to meet Julie. How long was this supposed to take? Should they be starting to get worried?

No sooner had he finished the thought when Reggie burst into the studio. Vibrating as if he was about to burst. Alex felt the smile tugging on his lips, oh he was about to Reggie all over the place. Alex glanced at Luke and the playfully exasperated smile was already playing on his lips too as he sat up to look at Reggie.

Reggie let out a little squeak as if he was struggling to hold everything in and Alex had to let out a full-on laugh at that one. “Well are you going to tell us about it or what?” Alex teased.

Reggie immediately started poofing around the room, talking a mile a minute. Alex was sure he heard the words Star Wars, Julie Magic, The best, Everyone should go, and fanny pack? He filled with warmth at the sight of Reggie being so unapologetically happy, even as he tried to play it off like he might be exasperated with the younger boy.

To sell it, he gave a little shy and shake of his head, which of course was when he noticed that Reggie was hiding something behind his back. “So what’s behind your back?” At this, Reggie turned slightly red and stopped talking. Appearing almost a little shy, but the excitement hadn’t left his eyes. Alex was curious and slightly concerned as Reggie slowly made his way toward him. He stopped for a minute before quickly whipping out a stuffed bear?

Reggie was talking again, but he was having a hard time focusing as he grasped the bear from Reggie’s hands. It was soft, way softer than any teddy he’d ever had. But it was more than that. His fingers traced softly over the outfit, a pink shirt and a fanny pack and a backwards ball cap. It was the flag though, that he thought he might never let go of.

It was him. Reggie had made him. His heart swelled as he traced the eyes and snouts. Luke’s cough finally broke him out of his reverie and he smiled sheepishly at Reggie having not heard anything he’d said.

“His name’s Alexander” _Of course it was_ “I saw the bear and it looked just like you and Julie and I just had to. I thought maybe you could hold him. Or something. When your anxiety starts getting bad.” Alex his eyes widen at the care and consideration, not that he should be surprised, but still. He wrapped Reggie up in a fierce hug, never letting go of Alexander. He whispered a soft “Thanks” into Reggie’s ear who just grinned.

Just then a whine carried across the room. “How come you made Alex a bear and not me?” Luke was putting on his best grumpy puppy face, not that everyone in the room knew it was fake, yet it broke the tension. Alex coughed stepping away.

“The truth comes out after all these years of competing Luke, Reggie likes me better” he sassed back.

Reggie stuttered “Wait- guys- wait- I don’t- wait” Alex and Luke burst out into laughter. Luke still carried on though “Years of wooing! WASTED!” Somehow, as per usual, they’d all found their way to being in a pile on the couch. Luke moving to lay dramatically across Alex and Reggie’s lap. Reggie was turning bright red and Alex pondered out loud why he’d ever made friends with either of them. Reggie and Luke let out mock shrieks with Luke being the loudest.

“That’s it! I demand satisfaction! We’re all just going to have to go back and get a bear. We have to make the whole band! No exceptions or excuses.” Reggie immediately jumped on board and soon both the boys were pleading with him.

He hesitated. There was a reason why Julie banned them from coming in the first place, but I mean. It wouldn’t hurt to ask right? Maybe they could work something out. Besides, he really kind of wanted to make a Willie bear….

“Okay okay fine. We can ask. But if Julie says no, we respect her decision. Got it?”

The other two agreed rapidly, grinning as if they’d won something difficult. He hugged Alexander a little closer, hearing a small voice that sounded like Reggie when he did so.

_You will be Alexander. You are the greatest drummer and one of the greatest friends a guy could have. You will be there for every heartache, panic attack, and moment of joy. You are sarcastic, but there for us anyway. Just wait until you meet the real Alex._

Luke popped up from the couch. “Well since we’re all here boys, might as well practice a little! You might have to put the bear down though Alex.”

Alex most certainly did not put Alexander down. It stayed firmly in his arms somehow, someway, for the rest of the day.


	4. William the Sk8 Bear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex takes a trip down memory lane while finding the perfect bear for Willie
> 
> or
> 
> Oops I gave Alex emotions and backstory
> 
> and
> 
> Alex loves Willie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. 
> 
> There are more emotions in this than I expected. Whoops. I love writing Alex. Also I tried to do Willex. Yes a part where Willie reacts to the bear is coming. Just like at the very end.
> 
> Also I love y'all. Your comments brighten up my day.

Much to Alex’s relief, Julie gave in almost immediately. Ever since she’d seen the light in Reggie’s face, she knew that the boys coming would be inevitable and had already laid a plan. Alex watched Luke and Reggie bounce around the room and smiled. He’d still yet to have let go of Alexander and that was pretty okay with him.

There’d been a brief moment when Reggie and Luke were out of the studio and he’d sat Alexander in his lap at the drums and mimed like he was teaching Alexander to play and then that Alexander was playing. He’d stopped long before anyone could walk in and see what he was doing. They didn’t really need to know after all.

Alex nodded along as Julie explained that she was the sole opener for build-a-bear tomorrow. The mall would be empty, and they’d have the store to themselves. No one would notice the floating bears and outfits and Julie wouldn’t be trying to juggle three excited ghosts and an overwhelming number of children.

Alex was still concerned, but then he was always concerned. He gripped Alexander a little tighter, sent up a small wish that everything would be fine tomorrow, and prepared to deal with his bandmates who frankly had never heard of patience in their life.

The next morning Julie went on ahead and the trio poofed into the store. They’d timed it, well Alex timed it, so that they’d be getting there a few minutes after she arrived. Since he clearly had the most sense of the three, it was no surprise when Alex timed it perfectly.

He could hear the excited shrieks and feel the jittering and squirming next to him, but he was frozen in shock. There were stuffies of all shapes and sizes and colors, including, was that? Was that a Pride Bear? Alex felt a small smile tug at his mouth while he felt more than heard his bandmates freak out.

He slowly walked up to a shelf, subconsciously moving out of the way of his two bandmates dashing around. Tracing his fingers along the shelf he methodically moved along, taking in everything. Ah a Star Wars bear, that’s what Reggie meant yesterday. He thought he heard Luke scream somewhere off in the distance, but that was just Luke. He smiled to himself. He’d never understood why people called soft cuddly things immature. He’d lived through enough anxiety to know that if something brought him comfort, he wanted more of it not less.

His parents had thrown out most of his stuffed animals once he hit middle school and all he could do at the time was watch helplessly. They figured he was a boy and he’d outgrown soft cuddly things. It was time for more manly pursuits. Yet he knew, deep down, that it was wrong. Before he found Reggie and Luke those small comforts were the only things that got him through the hard days. A constant reassurance that there was always something to hold and make him feel warm.

In the end, he’d lost all of them and unwittingly gained something. His mother, in one of her redecorating fits, rearranged the whole living room with new throw pillows and everything. She’d found this small soft pink pillow with fringe hanging off the side. One night, during a particularly bad scolding from his father about needing to man up and face his fears and stop cowering, he’d picked up the small pink pillow. It was only about the size of his palm, but he clutched it tightly and it made him feel slightly better.

After his mother inevitably decided the change in decorations just was not working, she went to change it back. She tossed all of the new things out into the street without a secondary glance. This time though, Alex was ready. He’d snuck out and grabbed the small pink pillow. It didn’t fit very well into his room. A lone splash of color in a room of dark grays, greens, and blacks because that’s what his father had said a boy’s room should look like. It became his new lifeline when he could feel the anxiety attack coming on. He would focus on that small piece of color, the light in the darkness, he would feel the fringe, count the strings, close his eyes and feel the fabric.

Slowly but surely, he started adding more small pink things to his life. A t-shirt here, a sweatshirt there. His bandmates would see him in or with whatever new pink thing he’d found and smile and tell him it looked good. That he looked good. He was starting to have a hard time denying it, he looked GOOD in pink.

He brought his attention back to the sound of soft whispers. Luke and Reggie where standing over a bin engaged in what looked like a quiet debate. He shook his head; he didn’t have the energy to intervene in whatever that was. He continued to slide along the shelves, not really sure what he was looking for and feeling slightly overwhelmed by all the options. He glanced at Julie, who already seemed to know what she was doing and just wanted to keep an eye on them. She had a small warm smile on her face, and she nodded at him when she caught his eyes. He smiled back.

He might appear somewhat aloof, but he knew Julie could read him and knew just how happy he was to be here. She also knew that it was with great reluctance Alexander was left at home this morning. She’d argued that it was hard to make a bear when you were holding one. Eventually, he’d conceded. His eyes flit over something and he had to do a double take.

That bear. It kind of looked like Willie? It was a darker tan, almost an olive-y color. The bear’s eyes were wide and its smile tilted off to one side. It seemed full of enthusiasm. Doctor Who bear? Wasn’t that some sci-fi thing. I guess their love was a little supernatural. He smiled pretty big at that joke. It was the two hearts though sewn onto the chest that kept drawing him back in. He knew Willie and he had already basically confessed to each other, but they still hadn’t explicitly said anything. As far as Alex was concerned though, Willie did hold his heart.

Yeah okay, this is the one. He started to bounce a little in excitement. He picked up the piece of what would soon become William the Bear and headed over to where Julie was waiting on them. Some big open area and a machine filled with stuffing. Reggie had tried to explain how it worked last night but he didn’t make a whole lot of sense. Soon Reggie and Luke were joining Alex as Julie walked through the next couple of steps. She gestured towards the heart bins and the four of them made their way over.

Alex smiled at these little boxes filled with tiny satin hearts. It felt like a weird kind of shopping, but he was good with it. He didn’t really know what to pick. There were pinks and reds and small and big. His brain started to wonder which heart was in Alexander before he spotted it. It was one of the bigger hearts, but it was checkerboarded in red and pink. Perfect.

He watched his friends discuss and sift and joke and smile. He teased them lightly as they put so much effort into finding just the right heart to go in their bears or how emotionally involved, they were. Of course, they teased him right back, reminding him about him cuddling with Alexander and refusing to put him down. He rolled his eyes at them, but inside he was glowing and warm to be here with his family.

They went back to the machine and it looked like Julie was ready to start stuffing them when Reggie frantically stopped her.

“No you have to do the magic!!”

Alex glanced at Luke and they both smiled and rolled their eyes before looking at Julie.

Julie raised an eyebrow at Reggie. “Do I?” Her eyes sparkled and Alex smiled knowing Julie was already planning on giving in.

Reggie gave her his best puppy dog eyes and said “Pleeeeaaaaseee”

“Well….” She trailed off.

Reggie grabbed Luke to pull him closer who in turn grabbed Alex who let out a laugh as he was recruited into this ploy. After a couple of elbows to the side he conceded. All three turned their best puppy eyes on Julie. “Plllleeeeeeeaaaaassssseeee”

Her smile lit up the room. “If you insist!”

She walked them through rubbing the heart and jumping with the heart and they were all dorks. Including him since he knew that a smile had never left his face. When she told them to make a wish on the heart, he hesitated. A wish for Willie? A wish about Willie? Was that the voice he’d heard every time he squeezed Alexander? His eyes whipped around to Reggie. He knew Reggie loved and appreciated him, but Reggie managed to feel so strongly that it was… He melted a little at the warmth and love of his brothers.

He stared at the heart. Could he pour something into this heart, enough that Willie would hear it? Something brave and a little bold and a whole lot impulsive hit him as he brought the heart up to whisper his wish.

I wish for an eternity to hold your hand.

Immediate embarrassment flooded through him and he became so flustered he nearly dropped his heart. He didn’t know what would happen, but he thought it might be bad. The boys shot him strange looks as if guessing what might be going on but leaving him to it. Julie gestured him forward, ready to bring William to life. She asked him if there was anything else, he wanted to whisper to the heart. He shook his head no, fearing what he might whisper into it this time.

Slowly the bear gained shape and form and as he watched it come to life Alex admitted it might be a little magic. He was bouncing a little in excitement already eyeing a tye-dye shirt and some khaki shorts for William. Julie smiled at his excitement and gave him a gentle nudge toward the direction that contained sports gear. Even he couldn’t stop the excited shriek when he discovered “THERE’S A SKATEBOARD!”

Everyone laughed with Alex with their joy and excitement too. He grasped William closely and headed off to accessorize while he waited for the rest of his band.


	5. Lukas and Jules

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luke's POV
> 
> Luke builds a Julie while Reggie builds a Luke :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello yes,
> 
> Just your friendly neighborhood grad student who should've gone to sleep hours ago but really wanted to give y'all an update.
> 
> Honestly, not pleased with my options for the Julie bear, but I think I'm good with it. I guess I could've made one up but I've been enjoying finding them on the website. Okay also the light purple color is great and since Madison has that winged eyeliner on point always, maybe I'm just too picky.
> 
> Oh yeah, I'm going to try to include pics of the bears if not the outfits so then y'all can see!
> 
> Love you all <3 Thanks for reading :)

Luke adored watching the faces of his bandmates as they shared Alexander the bear. Reggie was lit up like the sun, and somehow shone even brighter after rendering Alex speechless while he gently swept his fingers over the bear. Alex looked to be slightly in awe, not just in the surprising likeness to himself, but also at the care of thought that went into it.

He was only kidding, mostly, when he whined about Reggie not making him a stuffie. It was less because he needed a small stuffed animal version of himself, but more because he really wanted Reggie to want to make him one. He understood though, why Reggie would make one for Alex rather than him.

Alex had always gravitated towards soft things. For as long as the boys had known him there was something soft and cuddly nearby whether it be a stuffed animal, a blanket, or even just a sweatshirt. Reggie was much the same, although he tried to hide it significantly more than Alex did. Both of them loved such things, looked to them in an instinctual way for comfort.

Luke didn’t have that kind of attachment to soft cuddly things. It certainly that he wasn’t cuddly enough, in fact he was probably the cuddliest of the bunch, but even when he was little, he’d always chosen to cuddle people instead. In fact, he craved being in constant contact with another human being. When he’d been five it’d been his mom, he’d wrap around her leg or crawl into her lap and she’d whisper to him the secrets of the universe.

When he was ten it was Reggie. He’d follow him around, tugging on the bottom of his shirt as Reggie chatted at him in high speed. Mostly though, Luke would grab Reggie’s hand and pull him along into shenanigans and adventures and things that ten-year-old boys get up to. Over the years, there were classmates that teased them, but Luke would just grip harder, stick his tongue out and call them jealous. After all, clearly nobody wanted to hold their hands.

In late middle school, they found Alex. Soon it was cuddle piles on the floor or the couch. Pretty much anywhere all three of them could fit. That was actually most places since all three boys were fairly creative and very few sense of boundaries. It was Alex who he would hug as if it was a lifeline, the only thing keeping him standing, after fights with his mom. It was the three of them linking fingers, hands, arms, ready to defy the world where everyone they trusted, everyone they needed to protect them failed.

He would never dream of mocking the boys for their love of all things soft and cuddly. He figured he’d had his own teddy bears in a way, they just happened to be the very alive, and now very dead, Alex and Reggie. Instead he watched with a soft smile at Reggie tried to hide his joy at Alex refusing to put Alexander down and getting to go back to Build a Bear the next day. The best moment had when he caught Alex teaching Alexander to play the drums when he thought no one was looking.

Yup, his brothers were the most adorable and soon they would all have stuffies of each other to play with, and for that he was incredibly excited.

Luke wasn’t entirely sure what to expect when he poofed into Build a Bear the next morning, but walls covered with animals of all shapes colors and sizes was certainly not it. He could feel Reggie literally vibrating next to him and Luke’s excitement and energy was feeding off it. Oh yes, the kid in a candy store feeling was coming over him. Something about these stuffies felt different. Instead of lifeless stares, it almost felt as if they were alive and gazing fondly at the joy they were bringing to the three ghost boys and the smirking human girl.

He glanced at Julie and was unsurprised to see a soft smile and shimmering eyes as she took them all in. Alex had wandered off to the shelves mesmerized and before he could process what was happening Reggie was dragging him all around the store pointing out cool this and cool that and AHHH did you see. Luke was smiling and hanging on for the ride.

Or he was until he saw the dogs. There was one, like a border collie almost with fire sticking out all over the place and he heard himself scream before he realized the words were his. OHMYGAWD IT’S SO FLUFFY I’M GOING TO DIE.

At this point Julie and Reggie were doubled over and cackling at him while Alex barely spared him a quizzical look. He harumphed. He’d never gotten the appeal before! Not when he’d had Reggie and Alex so he had…. never mind he didn’t want to do THAT math… years to catch up on! He walked over to lightly punch Reggie in the arms as he slowly managed to stop laughing.

He meandered away, peering in all the boxes with Reggie following closely behind him. He wasn’t sure what he was looking for, but he figured he would know it when he saw it. It wasn’t long before Reggie was tugging at his shirt.

“Dude! Dude!” Reggie pointed at a soft caramel brown bear with big sewn in eyes. “It’s you!!” At first glance Luke agreed, it did kind of remind him of him, but as he got closer, he realized that this bear was slightly smaller than the other bears. Which of course is when Luke read the name “Lil’ Cub Brownie”.

Luke whispered yelled “I AM NOT THAT SHORT! I AM 5’8” WHICH IS A PERFECTLY RESPECTABLE HEIGHT”

Reggie just looked at him, an eyebrow raised and a smirk on his lips. “Let’s see what Julie thinks.” He called out to the girl watching them with amusement. “Hey Jules, how tall would you say Luke is?”

She gave Luke a quick up and down. Pondered it softly as her eyebrows scrunched up. “Hmmm…. 5’4”?”

Luke could feel the shock, horror, and betrayal coursing through him. “I AM 5’8”!”

Julie looked at him quizzically “Are you sure?”

Luke let out a groan of frustration as Reggie picked up the small bear shaped lump and winked at him. He grabbed Reggie’s elbow and dragged him along scanning the aisles for something that might even mildly resemble Julie.

He’d passed this bear three times. He still didn’t like it, didn’t even think it looked like Julie, yet something about it kept giving him pause. It was a pale lilac color and it might be the softest thing he’d ever touched. The purple was kind of nice, but he knew Julie was a more vibrant purple like the dress she’d worn on the Orpheum and while her eyes could melt him to the core, she had a strength that astounded him. The bear kind of felt like Julie lite. A shadow or figment of her.

There was something weird with its eyes too like it had winged eyeliner. He knew every now and again Julie wore her make-up like that, but it didn’t really seem to be her. Julie was at her Juliest when in mismatched pajamas and her fluffy dinosaur slippers, her hair flowing freely and a soft song singing from her lips. It was like she carried the warmth and the light with her and this bear just didn’t.

Yet this was the third time he was standing in front of this Anna? From Frozen? Bear and it was his best bet. Reluctantly he grabbed the blob of fabric and hoped along the way it could become more like her.

He and Reggie made their way over to where Alex and Julie were already sitting, waiting for the other to join them. He had to admit he wasn’t listening while Julie gave them some monologue. The bear just wasn’t sitting right with him and it took Reggie dragging him toward these red boxes to jar him from contemplation.

Luke glanced in to see all the little hearts and felt a smile lighting up his face. Identifying a heart for Julie, now that he could do. He smiled a little bit at Alex’s intense focus, as if finding the right heart was the same as defusing a bomb. He laughed at Reggie’s antics of digging through everything and moving hearts into different buckets, leaving not one unturned in his hunt. Every now and again Luke would let out a tease at the look on Alex’s face or be fake angry with Reggie when he scooped hearts on top of where Luke was looking.

This was really what he’d come for, this moment of pure joy with his family. Julie just kept shaking her head at them all. For a minute they were just three seventeen-year-old boys with their favorite girl building a bear.

It took him by surprise really, the flash of color. Soon though, he was digging with fervor trying to find the glimpse of deep royal purple he’d seen. After what felt like forever and a impending feeling of hopelessness he found it. Sitting at the bottom of the bin was a purple heart, almost exactly the color of Julie’s Orpheum dress. This, this was the one.

He cracked a smile at Reggie and waved it in his face as Reggie held up what had to be the most awkwardly looking heart he’d ever seen. Reg must have noted his look of confusion because he started to explain.

“I know it’s not the prettiest looking heart but look at all it’s gone through. It’s still surviving, it’s still functional, it’s still the biggest heart of anyone I know. This is the kind of heart that gives pieces of itself to mend others.” Reggie just keeps going borderline rambling as if he also doesn’t know where to stop until his voice drops almost to a whisper “This is a heart that fixes things and and and you fixed us.”

Luke gave Reggie the biggest grin as the warmth flew through him at his friend’s explanation. “It’s perfect Reg. Thank you.” Reggie’s thousand-watt smile was back as they all moved back towards the stuffing machine. He prompted Julie to do the magic, dragging him and Alex into the convincing, not that Julie needed it.

The wish stumped Luke briefly and he watched as Alex and Reggie seemed to do it with very little hesitation. Words and thoughts seemed to jumble in his mind before some started to align with startling clarity. They were lyrics? Either way he whisper sang them to the bear.

We say we're friends, we play pretend. You're more to me, we're everything  
Our voices rise and soar so high. We come to life when we're, In perfect harmony

By the time he finished, Alex had his new bear stuffed introducing him as William the Skater Bear and Reggie and Julie were whispering together while shooting him looks. Soon the caramel bear was growing and becoming real. Luke had to admit, despite the height issue, Reggie really had done a good job picking out the bear and as he screamed about a guitar for Lukas, Luke giggled and stepped up to the machine.

Julie raised an eyebrow at his choice and he grinned at her sheepishly and shrugged. Truthfully, he was a little nervous about it. What if he picked the wrong bear? What if it looked awful? Would she hate it? When he handed her the heart though, her eyes grew wide before dashing up to his. She squeezed it tight and watched as her face shifted to awe and a blush crept over her cheeks before she hurriedly finished the bear.

She handed the bear back to him and oddly enough Luke stared deeply into the bear’s eyes. A flicker of recognition passed through. That was Jules, through and through. He took one more glance at Julie, smiled, and called out “C’mon Jules time to accessorize!” He heard her giggle as he wandered over to the clothes section.

In the end, he managed to convince Julie to let him bring home two outfits for Jules. One was a sparkly purple fairy dress with a black leather jacket and a microphone to match, the other was a pair of pajamas with monster slippers. They’d rationalized it as needing a band outfit, but also a cuddlier one.

For a brief moment, he and Reggie switched bears so Luke could hold onto Lukas. Reggie had managed to find denim pants with a band tshirt and a beanie. Reggie swore up and down that when they got home they could cut the sleeves off the bear’s shirt, but Luke was enamored with the little bear and his soft guitar that hung by a band off his hand. He nodded absently, agreeing with whatever Reggie said before pulling Lukas close into a tight hug.

A little voice that sounded remarkably like Reggie whispered into Luke’s head.

_You are Lukas. Luke may prefer hugging people to stuffies, but it’s your job to make sure that for whatever reason we can’t be there, Luke can hug you and know we’re hugging him back as tightly. He saved us all and now he’ll never be alone again._

He looked up at Reggie, tears starting to pool in his eyes, even as Reggie looked a little confused. He reached out and hugged him tight. Never letting go of Lukas. They stayed that way for a long time before pulling apart.

Alex had witnessed the whole thing and was pretty sure he knew exactly what caused the burst of emotion in Luke. He gave a small smile before taking the opportunity to rag on his brother.

“So what do you think Luke? Care to put Lukas down for a minute.”

Luke shook his head vigorously “Nuh-uh. Not a chance.” There was something niggling at him though as he joked with his bandmates. He couldn’t quite place it though until Julie slipped Jules out of Reggie’s arms and into her arms. He froze then, his brain catching up and slamming into him.

What if Julie could hear the lyrics he sung to the bear as his wish?


	6. Sir Reginald II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Julie loves her ghostie boys and makes Reggie a bear

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO
> 
> Writing the same scene from three points of view is realllllyyy hard. So if there are inconsistencies please forgive me. 
> 
> Also there's one more after this. SURPRISE.
> 
> Also, I used to work children's museums and I frequently opened and that really comes out in this so please excuse my projecting.

Julie knew long before Reggie headed home that all the boys would be back, sooner rather than later, which is why she checked her schedule. Luckily, she was opening the next morning and everything would be quiet. Not to mention, she’d already gotten her first couple of paychecks so hopefully she could pay for everything that was about to happen. She knew her father would help since he loved to dote on his adopted ghost boys, but it was also kind of nice to be able to do this for them.

She’d gotten home to find Alex stubbornly refusing to let go of Alexander, Luke whining that he wanted one, and Reggie filled with so much pride and warmth that she could swore he was glowing. By the time she’d left for bed that night, all plans finalized, the boys had been snuggled up in their own bed. Alex in the middle holding tightly to Alexander, sandwiched between the two other boys. She chuckled as she headed out knowing she might need a lot of sleep and energy for her three tag-alongs the next day.

It’s why when she arrived before the boys the next morning, she took a minute to breathe everything in. She kind of liked the mall when everything was quiet and peaceful. The lights were mostly dimmed and the only sounds were the distant hiss of coffee machines and the soft whispers of the few other employees, not willing to break the silence just yet.

The store itself appeared kind of magical with colors and life bleeding through everything. Even though the store wasn’t truly alive yet. She liked being the first one in and getting to set everything up. She could organize the pre-made bears in the window into cute scenes, place out the small props that existed around the store. She tried for something new every time, some small little spin that would put an extra bright smile onto the child that noticed.

It was as she was setting up that she walked past a bin that made her stop. Long before Reggie had insisted on joining her she’d been imagining which bears she’d pick out for everyone. She’d found a bear for Flynn and Carrie and Luke and Alex, but Reggie had been stumping her for a couple of weeks. Until of course, she walked past this particular bin this morning.

She wasn’t sure how she’d missed it before. The bear was soft and black with wide eyes and a small smile. It was soft and the fur had a slight curve to it. She let her fingers drift across the Midnight Moon Bear and knew that this would be the one. No sooner had she finished the thought when she heard the tell-tale signs of poofing ghosts.

She turned around with a smile catching the first glimpses on Alex and Luke. They both stared wide-eyed and open mouthed, although Alex caught himself pretty quick transforming into a look of mild interest. She could still see the sparkle in his eyes though as he started wandering towards the shelves. Reggie just kept nodding the quintessential “AM I RIGHT???” look plastered across his face.

Julie nearly died of laughter once Luke found the puppies and zoomed around the store with Reggie. She took glee in the opportunity to tease Luke about his height. Even with Alex quiet unawareness of what was going on around him, she could spot the joy he was trying to hide.

The store may be no longer be quiet and peaceful, but she had to admit, she liked it filled with life more. It wasn’t the thrill on being on stage in front of screaming fans, but it was the little moments of connection as a child watched a shell of fabric come to life. It was the awe in their eyes as they oh so carefully picked out a heart and gave it warmth and joy and love. Her favorite though was when she stuffed the new toy and she was one-on-one with a child and they kept glancing into her eyes and back to the ever growing stuffie. For just a moment, she knew that child believed in magic and life and love so strongly that it could change the world.

Now here she was getting to watch those emotions dance across her boys’ faces. The boys had so many characteristics which defined them. They were dead, and a band, and family. They suffered through childhoods, that while Julie didn’t know all the details, she knew forced them to grow up fast. Forced them to take care of themselves when the people who should’ve failed.

So, she took a moment to breathe and watch as her boys were able to be just that. Boys. Children. Teenagers. Dorks who just wanted something soft.

After she watched all three of the boys pick up their piece, she grabbed what would soon become Sir Reginald II and led them over to the stuffing machine. She went through the basic instructions, knowing the boys were barely paying attention before guiding them over to the hearts.

She smiled at their enthusiasm and teased Reggie as he looked at every single heart in all of the boxes. Luke was also digging, but it seemed to be more purposeful while Alex picked through the hearts carefully taking his time to find the right one. Julie, on the other hand, knew exactly which heart she wanted. She’d picked it out the day before when Reggie was here and slipped it behind the counter. Out of all the hearts she’d ever seen in the box, it was by far the biggest. Nearly twice as big as the next closest size and a vibrant red. Reggie’s heart was so large, she knew Sir Reginald II needed one to match.

It didn’t particularly surprise her when Reggie asked her to “do the magic” and she struggled to contain her laughter when he managed to drag his friends into a group beg. Julie never intended to say no, but watching the boys plead with her was admittedly adorable. So she led them through it, warming up the heart, jumping with the heart, and her personal favorite- the wish.

When she’d done the heart for Alexander the day before, she’d wished for Alex to know that he was family. He was just as important and valued by her as any of the other boys. Reggie was rapidly taking on a big brother role, and although she tried to be exasperated about it, she couldn’t be more thrilled. Luke was… something. Some days he felt like her other half. Alex though, Alex was everything that kept her calm and steady and grounded. She hoped she knew how much he meant to her.

For Reggie’s bear she’d thought long and hard about what the whispered wish would be. In the end, she thought about everything she loved about Reggie.

Sir Reginald II please take care of Reggie. Sometimes he doesn’t realize how important he is. He’s the glue that holds us all together and keeps us going when everything seems bleak. He is so loved and so valuable. Please remind him of that when everything seems hard.

Alex brought William the Sk8 Bear up first and he seemed to bounce a little as he came to life. The shriek though when Alex caught sight of the skateboard accessories would forever be her favorite.

Reggie came up to him next and whispered to her. I made a wish, but I wondered if you wanted to leave one for Luke too. Her eyes widened as a blush covered her cheeks, but she agreed. Quietly she sang to the heart.

We say we're friends, we play pretend. You're more to me, we're everything  
Our voices rise and soar so high. We come to life when we're, In perfect harmony

She kept glancing over to Luke, ensuring he wasn’t paying attention, but thankfully he was also absorbed in his bear. Reggie jittered with excitement next to her, ready for the bear to be made, already planning in his head exactly how to accessorize Lukas.

Luke slowly approached her, ready to make Jules a true stuffie. She couldn’t help but give him a look. Was this really the one he picked for her? She loved it, but she had to laugh at the slightly awkward eyeliner they’d put on this bear. Her gasp resounded though as she caught a glimpse of the heart in his hand.

It was a vibrant purple and whatever second guessing she did about his knowledge of her faded as she saw the most beautiful heart. It was her favorite shade of purple and she squeezed it tight, once again feeling a blush crawling up her cheeks.

Once she’d stuffed Jules the Bear, it was a lot easier to see where he was going with this. His smile at the sight filled her with a small light and she passed him the bear while he flounced off to find her the perfect outfit.

Quickly she got to work on Sir Reginald II already knowing that among the clothing and accessories lived a white tank top, black jeans, a leather jacket, and a red stuffed bass guitar.

There was something steady about stuffing the bears. There was a little foot press like on a sewing machine or piano. In a way, it almost felt like she was making music as she brought Sir Reginald to life. The machine would wheeze as the stuffing flowed through the nozzle to the bear and it would make soft whump noises as it filled in all the spaces. Carefully she laced up the back and flipped the bear over. If she didn’t stare too deeply or too hard she could almost see the twinkle in its eye and the smirk on his face.

Looking up, she caught a glimpse of the boys rushing around and finding all the perfect pieces. Dressing the bears, laughing, and teasing each other. Every now and again someone would pick up an article of something ridiculous and hold it up, asking if it was what each other was looking for.

She loved them, but they certainly were high energy and she took a deep breath before rejoining the fray. Luke had Lukas grasped tightly, eyes a little watery while he batted away Alex’s hands who appeared to be trying to snatch Lukas away. She let out a small laugh at their antics and eased Jules out of Reggie’s arms and replaced her with Sir Reginald II.

If she noticed Luke freeze and eye her warily, she didn’t think much of it as she gripped Jules loosely in her arms. Jules ended up in an outfit that was pretty close to her Stand Tall outfit and she was mildly impressed. Unfortunately, Julie caught a glimpse down at her watch and began to shoo the boys out. It was just about time to open, which meant it was time to send them home. She gently placed Jules back in Reggie's arms and began preparing for the rest of her day.


	7. A Beary Good Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A tying up of loose ends.
> 
> Everyone gets to hear all the messages and we get Willex and Juke fluff

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's all folks!
> 
> I hope you enjoyed it. I've got more fics in the works although they're not nearly as fluffy as this one.
> 
> I really liked writing Willex and all the things.
> 
> I'll miss y'all ;-; Come read my other stories and hang out with me on tumblr pleaaaassse?

The boys poofed back to the studio hearts as full as their arms full of stuffed bears.

Luke and Alex were both jittery with anxiety. Luke hadn’t seen Julie hug her bear, but he also hadn’t seen her not hug her bear and he was growing very concerned at the prospect of when or if she’d hear the lyrics he’d poured into the heart. He hadn’t meant to offer a confession, hadn’t meant to reveal his feelings so blatantly.

What if she didn’t like the song? What if she didn’t like him? What if she didn’t get it and he was stuck in this nightmare limbo waiting for her to realize as she kept hugging and hugging the bear that they lyrics were about her???

Yup he was a ball of anxiety, but at least he wasn’t alone.

Every now and again Alex would shift onto the balls of his feet and then back down. His mind zipping down very similar avenues to Luke. He’d impulsively made a bear for Willie but what if Willie thought it was dorky and lame? Was it weird for a not-dating person to give another a teddy bear? What if he heard the message and didn’t feel the same way?

I mean. Alex was pretty sure Willie liked him? But the more and more it went around in his head the less sure he was that he was interpreting Willie’s actions correctly. I mean they could just be friends?

Reggie quietly noted his friends’ anxiety and while he had no idea why it was happening; he knew a surefire way to cheer them up. Luckily, it was also one of the things he was best at, distraction.

He held up Sir Reginald II, a name he loved and adored since it meant Julie remembered his story about Sir Reginald I, and in his best teddy bear voice ( which mostly turned out to be a weird falsetto) said “Hello there!”

Both anxiety ridden boys eyed him warily and Reggie took this as permission to move Sir Reginald II verrrryyy close to Luke’s face. “Have you seen my friend Lukas? He’s late for band practice.” Luke’s eyes widened and glanced between Reggie and Sir Reginald II as Alex let out a snicker. “Wellllll? Have you seen him?”

Luke let out a sigh, knowing Reggie wasn’t going to let him out of this. He pulled Lukas up in front of his face and mimicking Reggie’s voice as best he could responded. “Sorry Reginald. I didn’t mean to run late.” At this point Alex was nearly doubled over with silent laughter. The sight of Reggie’s face all lit up though made Luke warm inside and suddenly he knew their next move. He raised an eyebrow at Alex who discovered too late what Luke was planning.

Luke bounded over, put Lukas right into Alex’s face and asked “Have you seen my friend Alexander? I’ve been looking all over for him.”

Alex slowly backed away “I’m not doing this.”

A quick exchange of glances brought Reggie on board with Luke’s plan and soon Reginald and Lukas were chasing Alex around the study asking and asking about Alexander their best friend. It wasn’t until Alex tripped, falling onto the bed where Alexander lay (tucked in no less) that he gave in. He pulled Alexander out and in the same falsetto his bandmates used called “Who disturbed my nap!”

The three boys grinned and thus they were off. They spent the rest of the day pretending with their new stuffies, reliving favorite moments of their life or pretending to play major stages around the world. They even took turns pretending to be Julie and reenacting some of their favorite moments with her.

In fact, the trio was having so much fun that Alex had forgotten about promising to meet Willie, who after waiting and growing concerned came looking for him. Willie stayed out of sight for as long as he could, watching the blonde-haired boy who he wanted to be around every second of every day laughed and joked with his brothers. Willie could feel the smile growing on his face at the sight of these three rock band boys kneeling on the ground miming arms and leg movements of stuffed bears while playing out scenes in funny voices.

However, his spying was up after Reginald and Lukas ganged up on Alexander (he’d long since figured out the names) in a hug pile and he burst into laughter.

All three boys heads whipped around suddenly very shy and sheepish at the thought that someone had been watching their antics over the last couple of hours. Alex turned nearly bright red, stammering out excuse after excuse for missing their plans and finding Willie here.

Willie turned to Alex with a soft smile. “Oh hotdog. You missed our plans AND y’all made bears for everyone except me and are having all this fun? My feelings are hurt.” He couldn’t resist the opportunity to tease Alex just a little. After all, he was incredibly adorable when flustered.

Luke and Reggie glanced at each other smiles growing wide as Alex grew even redder and began mumbling under his breath. In a move to both help and tease him, Luke and Reggie called out “Hey Alex, what is that you’re mumbling? Maybe you should say it louder.”

Willie tilted his head to the side in confusion as Alex took a deep breath and plucked up the courage to speak just a little louder. It was still barely audible, but Willie still caught it.

“I made you a bear”

Willie thought his heart was going to burst. He’d seen the bear-ified version of the band but as he glanced around the room he noticed a bear in a skater outfit off to the side. “You made me a bear?” Willie knew his voice was soft and he knew Alex liked him, but to include him in this little family of bears meant so much. He slowly moved toward the stuffie which had his signature tie dye and skateboard.

Alex began to ramble as Willie began a dedicated perusal of the bear. “I know it’s kind of lame, but I kept walking past it and it has two hearts sewn onto his chest and I don’t know something about its face reminded me of you and yeah it’s lame, you don’t have to keep it….”

Willie burst in. “No. I- I love it. Is it alright if he lives here though? I don’t want…”

“No, no, yeah totally.”

Willie’s head sprang up to look at Alex all of a sudden and a signature mischievous smirk filled his face. “Wait a second. You said there were two hearts sewn into the chest. Why would that remind you of me?”

Alex’s eyes widened as he shot looks to Reggie and Luke who had settled quite comfortably on the couch, bears in their laps to enjoy the show. They offered him an encouraging smile and a couple of nods. Alex gulped, took a deep breath and said as confidently as he could “It seemed kind of poetic. Since you.. uh… kind of… hold mine?” He hadn’t really managed for it to come out as a question, but he’d started to wince as if preparing for a negative reaction from Willie.

Instead, Willie wrapped himself around Alex in a fierce hug, never letting go of William. “You hold mine too Alex.”

Alex being too surprised, didn’t hug back right away, but with a squeaky “wait really??” he hugged on so tight that if either of them needed to breathe, they would probably be worrying about it. The two had started to jump around a little making happy noises while Reggie and Luke beamed.

The hug had barely broken apart when Julie joined them in the studio with a questioning look, but before anyone could say anything Alex burst out “I HAVE A BOYFRIEND!!” before shooting nervous glances at Willie “I mean, if you want.”

Willie chuckled, “Definitely”

Alex couldn’t stop smiling, but of course now was when he remembered “You should hug William. When I hugged Alexander I could hear the wish Reggie made for me and I uh, may have left you one too.”

Willie looked slightly confused, but sure enough when he squeezed William the Sk8 Bear tightly Alex’s voice whispered in his mind.

_I wish for an eternity to hold your hand._

Willie seemed to melt a little, before he entwined his hands with Alex’s. “For eternity” he whispered just loud enough for Alex to hear. They both blushed, but everyone else mostly looked confused.

Luke was the first to speak up. “I also heard Reggie’s wish when I squeezed Lukas.”

Reggie looked entirely confused. “You could hear… my wishes? That’s awesome!!! But also, you couldn’t hear Julie’s?” Alex and Luke both shot a look at Reggie. “She made wishes on both your hearts also, but you didn’t hear hers?”

Julie’s face was growing slightly pale. She hadn’t realized they could hear those wishes. The thought of Luke hearing those lyrics was maybe making her panic a little, but maybe since he hadn’t heard them yet he wouldn’t. It helped her fear a little that there was some overwhelming curiosity about the wish Luke left for her.

Alex’s voice cut through her questioning. “You know, I only tried the one time.” Luke sounded an agreement before Reggie cut in.

“You know it’s kind of cool if you think about it, she ended up leaving a wish on all our bears. Maybe we should try together to hear it?” The boys nodded as Julie watched with concern.

Alex’s face changed first. A small gasp echoing out of him and his eyes pooling with tears as he rushed towards Julie to envelop her in a hug. She’d made him feel seen and valued and the reassurance that he had a special and unique existence to her was a security he hadn’t realized he needed.

Reggie hugged his bear two or three times just listening to the message she’d left him over and over again.

_Sir Reginald II please take care of Reggie. Sometimes he doesn’t realize how important he is. He’s the glue that holds us all together and keeps us going when everything seems bleak. He is so loved and so valuable. Please remind him of that when everything seems hard._

Reggie glomped her next. Crying just a little at the words she left him which touched on his biggest and darkest insecurity. He could help but whisper his thanks and she pulled him tighter telling him that he was basically her brother. Reggie could no longer tell if he was laughing or sobbing everything was perfect.

Julie was having difficulty holding up the two emotional boys and she was filled with warmth at their love almost as much as she was filled with tension. She could barely see Luke which meant she couldn’t see his reaction.

Luke was having difficulty breathing and functioning. He didn’t need to breathe but now he couldn’t do it and he really felt like he needed to do it. He couldn’t-

He couldn’t believe it.

_We say we're friends, we play pretend_ _. You're more to me, we're everything  
Our voices rise and soar so high. We come to life when we're, In perfect harmony_

She’d poured the same song, the same words, the same wish into his bear as he had into hers. Julie Molina loved him. He had absolute verifiable proof and he didn’t want to waste another second without her. Without her knowing that she was the most precious, wonderful, thing about his life. So he did the only reasonable thing he could.

He yanked his crying brothers off of the girl they also loved more than anything, but not as much as him and worked on gaining her attention. He smiled. She looked slightly terrified, but she didn’t have to be. She just need to hug Jules.

“Julie. Julie. Julie. Julie! You need to hug Jules. Right now. You need to hug her right now. RIGHT NOW.”

His boys looked pissed, but slowly they could tell by the rush and joyous mania radiating from their friend that this was Important and begrudgingly stood out of the way.

Julie looked at Luke with big eyes as he insistently shoved Jules at her. He seemed excited and thrilled and flushed and by god if he didn’t stop rushing her she was going to-

_We say we're friends, we play pretend_ _. You're more to me, we're everything  
Our voices rise and soar so high. We come to life when we're, In perfect harmony_

The song filtered through her head as she hugged Jules and she felt her mouth drop as her eyes snapped to his. She watched his grin widen as he saw her figured it out. Her eyes met his and she was drowning. He was too far away and they both rushed into each other. They took another second to stare before wrapping each other in a tight hug.

Alex groaned a little, in a good-natured way, his hand once more linked with Willie’s. “Not that we’re not glad that you both finally got your lives together, but do either of you care to explain what exactly just happened?”

Slowly Luke and Julie moved out of hugging, but they still hovered around each other with their hands intertwined as they explained. They took turns explaining that somehow, someway, they’d left the same wish in each other’s bear. More than that, they were the same lyrics from the same love song they’d written without telling the other.

The shocked faces on all cause Luke and Julie to burst into laughter and soon all five of them were falling together into a hug. Julie carried one more surprise though in her back pocket. Slowly she pulled out three hotdog accessories for their new Build a Bears.

The boys looked at her with shock and horror as she grinned sheepishly at them.

“I couldn’t resist!”

They spent the afternoon playing with Jules, Lukas, Reginald, Alex and William. Then, when the time came for sleep, they couldn’t bear to leave each other so four ghosts, one human, and 5 teddy bear fell asleep in a pile of warmth and love.


End file.
